FIA seeks PAT chief’s assets details from ECP

ISLAMABAD - In a new development, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) probing cases of accumulation of assets and other financial crimes against chief of Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) Dr Tahirul Qadri has asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to provide details of assets of Dr Qadir and his party.It is apparent that FIA, the key investigation agency of the federal government working under the Ministry of Interior, has opened the cases of Dr Qadri under the directions of government to keep him silent for bringing a so-called revolution in the country by overthrowing the democratic setup.FIA is a letter written to the Election Commission of Pakistan has sought details about the assets and accounts of Dr Tahirul Qadri when he was elected MNA in 2002. Similarly, the agency has also sought details of assets of his party - PAT and the details of his income and expenditures.FIA has informed the commission that the agency was investigating the assets case of PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri and his party. Under the law, each parliamentarian and the political party have to submit his/its assets details before the commission.An official of FIA explained that the purpose of seeking assets details was to compare these with his existing assets and to see how much assets his party and he accumulated during this period and whether these would match with his/its sources of income.A senior officer of the Election Commission of Pakistan confirmed that they had received the FIA letter in this regard.Before the arrival of Dr Tahirul Qadri in Pakistan from Canada on June 23, FIA had opened a number of investigations against him and his educational; organizations that have the status of NGO. These cases include assets case, money laundering case and tax evasion case and cases were also opened against his educational institutions - Idara Minhajul Quran, Minhajul Quran Welfare Society etc for getting tax exemptions with the status of NGOs.FIA has also collected details from the airlines about international travelling of Dr Qadri and from Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and banks about the financial transactions of his accounts as well as his educational institutions and the details of tax returns submitted. The agency has also gathered data from PEMRA and major advertising agencies about money spent by Dr Qadri for publicity campaign at the time of his arrival in Pakistan in 2013.